BUCKSHOT
by mirxcls
Summary: One humid Sunday morning, April and Casey come up with the brilliant idea of sneaking the turtles off to a closed-off beach for the month. Well, yeah, it's fun and all, but there's probably a good reason to why it's closed off, right?
1. Chapter 1

**BUCKSHOT**

written by _mirxcls_

_A/N: Hello, I'm back again. I'm excited for my second fanfic on here, and knowing that I can easily write during the break loosens stress. So with that, I'll most likely be able to update these chapters pretty quickly. Enjoy this light-hearted, but intense fic idea that came to me during the finish-up of my last story. This specific fic won't be focused on ships, but the close friendships and family relationships instead. Besides, we all love to see the turtles having fun - and so does April and Casey._

_Speaking of fun, I already have my next idea saved, and it's a sequel to a fic I haven't posted on here. But after I get through some more chapters, I promise I will post the very first fic to the sequel. It's old writing, but I guess it'll have to do._

_Enjoy._

_Love, mirxcls_

_Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this fanfic._

**ONE | "Man, it's so drab!"**

"_Arghhh_!"

With an annoyed growl, April O' Neil shot up from her place on the living room couch, squinting at the distressed figure in the darkness.

As her eyesight finally adjusted, she could clearly see the figure making a complete mess of the sleeping bag they had been given. April noticed one of their pillows had ended up on the other side of the room, and the other was being given rather a lot of, well, how could she say this? Terrified affection?

"Casey, what gives?" April whisper-hissed, her head buzzing with lack of sleep. She rubbed her temples with a sigh of irritation. "I swear, this will be the last time—"

But she damn well knew it wouldn't be the last time. Exhausted Casey Jones walking her home every night after sparring with Raphael, left him to beg for her place for a three-hour nap. The three-hour nap always turned into the whole night. And April was forced to put up with it all week. Of course, she could always sleep in her own room, but that would be leaving Casey alone. And deep, deep inside, she felt like she owed him because she felt bad.

While the invasion had taken place, and everyone had fled to the farmhouse, April was constantly remembering how cold she had been to Casey. Sure, her trust in him had faltered a bit, but his dad, his little sister—she knew they meant the world to him. And somehow, Casey had done a great job of putting his grief aside. _And for what_? Oh, God, she had felt terrible.

_Whatever, it's just moral code_, she thought. One more week. Just one more—

"Oh,_ God_, no more rats!" Casey screeched, flailing in the sleeping bag once more. "Why,_ anything_, just—" He paused to hold a breath, and then flopped loosely, snoring.

April didn't bother to give a reaction this time. And she knew that going back to sleep wasn't an option anymore, so she got up from the couch and trudged to the kitchen. Maybe I actually remembered to buy groceries for myself this time… _wait, what time was it, anyway_?

She went back to the living room and picked up her T-Phone from the coffee table. Five-fifty in the morning. _Huh. Let's do breakfast, shall we_?

Casey Jones let out a groan as a beam of sunlight hit his face, and eased open one eye. April had yanked open the curtains as soon as the sun rose, like she always did. The young vigilante opened his mouth to complain—but stopped as the fresh smell of eggs and pancakes filled his nostrils. "Whoa, Red, when did you start working at a buffet?"

"Good morning to you too," April called back sarcastically. "I'll cook for you this time, but it's not my job to haul your butt out of bed. Up and at 'em! _Now_!"

The constant smell of breakfast was enough to pull the vigilante to his feet. Soon enough, he was joining the redhead at the table, as she set down several plates of food in front of them. Casey wiggled his fingers, licked his lips, and picked up his utensils to dig in. But right before he could take a nice big bite, O' Neil stopped him abruptly, two fingers pinching into his wrist. Casey's sloppy cut piece of pancake slid off his fork. "Aw, Red, come on!"

"Yeah, um, we need to talk about your sleep screaming, Mr. Jones," April started, with a stern look. "I can't have this continue—_you_ can't have it continue, either. What's your family going to say when you get back? And when's the last time you've talked with your dad?"

April could have been imagining it, but she thought she saw Casey's face flush. "It's okay, Red.

They'll just be happy to see me—and I'll be happy to see them."

A wave of silence swept over the breakfast table, and April regretted confronting him about the situation so early in the morning. But it couldn't have waited any longer.

"It's almost June," April finally spoke after a few minutes with an encouraging smile. She watched Casey savor his last pancake, chewing it carefully. She could tell he was thinking. "You haven't told me what you're gonna do yet. Are you leaving?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Raph was asking me about that yesterday. I still haven't really figured it out."

"Are you just gonna stay with the guys?"

"Well, Red, that's probably the best thing to do at the moment," Casey said, frowning. "Man, it's so drab!" He pushed back his plate and let out a belch. _Unfortunately, it wasn't as horrifying as Mikey's_, April thought, rolling her eyes. She took both their plates to the sink, and began to zone out as Casey flipped through the TV channels.

Their junior year would end next Monday—and sometime over the break, April would need to start looking for colleges within reasonable distance. But the redhead soon found herself worrying about whether Casey's grades were actually stable. She oh so desperately wanted to ask if she could do anything to help, but assumed that Casey would feel embarrassed. Or worse, _babied_. April O' Neil _hated_ being babied. She used to get babied by the guys, but now she was on her way to becoming a full-fledged ninja. Maybe Master Splinter sensed her emotions or something, and was the only person to actually do something about it. So now everyone kept their mouths shut, and she'd finally felt content.

April found it a bit amusing that Casey's schoolwork was actually how'd she met Casey. He'd been struggling in trig, and he supposedly thought that April was the perfect tutor for him—nevermind her flunking in the middle of the year. She remembered she'd been doubtful to help him, having experienced his poor manners, wild child attitude, and the too many uses of the word 'metal'. But for some reason, she had finally thrown caution to the wind—and now she found herself as an older sister figure. April could easily recall back to a few years ago, when she had felt hesitant to tutor Casey for the first time. But now all she wanted to do was help him improve.

April finished washing the cutlery, and dried her hands. Then she made her way back to the living room, finding Casey half-asleep on the couch. She let out a groan.

Pulling back her fist, she slugged him not too soft, and not too rough. But the action jolted him awake. "Ow!"

"Go wash up. Now," April told him sternly, with a hand on her hip and a warning glare. _Maybe she was more of a mother figure. Oops_. "I bought a new toothbrush for you last night. Go brush those pearly whites of yours." Even though she was bringing out her sarcasm, she had tried her best to muffle up 'pearly whites'.

But of course Casey Jones heard—and he flashed her his gap teeth grin before he trudged off to the bathroom.

A few seconds later, the vigilante came out with his new toothbrush in his mouth, toothpaste foam already forming. "So, Red," he started, enthusiastically. "Any special event I should know about?"

April raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, today we could have just stayed inside and chilled. But you're acting like we're going to some spoiled kid's birthday party," Casey pointed out, taking out the toothbrush.

O' Neil couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Casey, you know I _can't_ slack. This whole kunoichi thing is draining me to the core, but Master Splinter would find my so-called _great potential_ greatly disappointing."

Casey sighed and leaned against the wall. "So where we headin'?" he asked.

"Underground, idiot."

April looked on as Casey's dull eyes lit up—and a wide smile made its way onto his messy foam-stained lips.

_Me too, Jones._


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO | "Nothing's Too Impossible."**

_Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this fanfic._

"Captain Dash Coolstar—_what are we going to do_?"

_Slap_!

Leo and Mikey were lounging in the common area, staring a little too intensely at the TV screen before them. Mikey's eyes were the size of large oranges. "The season three finale just doesn't feel real," he complained.

When Leo didn't respond, Mikey kept talking. "When this is over, I'm going hunting again. I'm not accepting this. Nope, nope, nope!"

"Mikey, shh!" Leo hissed, large eyes similar to Mikey's still glued on the screen. "I looked it up, and apparently, the finale has alternate endings! Let me enjoy this."

The two were so mesmerized in the moment that they failed to hear a certain red-masked turtle sneak up behind them. "_Wow_!" Raphael shouted, right in their ears. Leo flinched, but Mikey was used to having his eardrums blasted. "And I thought Donnie was the biggest geek around here!"

"I heard that!" another voice came from the lab.

"Whatever you say, Raph. So we're just supposed to pretend you weren't madly in love when Mikey first dug up those old episodes?" Leo rolled his eyes. "Leave us."

Raph shrugged. "Fine." But a few seconds later, Leo and Mikey were tackled flat on their shells, their bingeing sadly interrupted.

The ending credits casually rolled—and it wasn't long before the brothers were interrupted once again.

"_What are you two doing_?"

Leo and Raph stopped mid-brawl to turn and face two human teenagers walking through the turnstiles. A cheerful redhead and a lanky kid on skates. The one on skates let out one of his infamous, crackly laughs. "Well, what have you two been up to?"

"Nothing, Casey. Where have you been?" Raphael demanded eagerly, pushing off his brother and approaching their two friends. "I was stuck here twiddlin' my thumbs in front of the pinball machine. Don't make me replace ya with one of Mikey's stuffed bears."

Casey shot the turtle a toothy grin as Raph gave April a nod of greeting. "Never, dude. Schoolwork. April needing me. You know how it is."

April didn't hesitate to elbow him.

Casey was about to speak again when the red-masked turtle put his best friend in a headlock—and the two stumbled through the turnstiles, one protesting and one chuckling.

When they were completely out of view, Leo turned to April. "So, Ape, how've you been? Raph's right. Feels like we haven't seen you two in months."

"Sorry," April confessed. To be honest, she really felt as guilty as she looked inside. "It was finals week. But I guess stress shouldn't be an excuse right now, huh?" she added, referring to how hard the brothers were training nowadays. The Foot were scheming more than ever, and they were all well aware of how much Splinter was meditating. Every time she'd made eye contact, she could clearly see the worry clouding his features. April was still set on her weekly training, but unfortunately, she'd have to make up the missed days. Lately she had felt like she was a distraction to the whole team. April was tired of practically begging to participate on challenging missions—and having the brothers lag and being put aside as Splinter spent hours teaching her the same forms a number of times. She wasn't Splinter's first priority—and learning to accept that was her first step in thriving. The guys have had years of training, and they had always been everyone's best shot at survival. _Huh, April O' Neil's half Kraang_? Didn't make her any more special. She had to do her own things, on her own time, and she couldn't depend on anyone to fix her own problems. But she had to take _some _action.

Before Leonardo could open his mouth to reply, April blurted, "I should tell Sensei I've been practicing without him, huh?"

_Thanks to Donnie paying her a few visits at sundown_.

"U-uh, sure, I guess," Leo answered, a bit taken by surprise. April suddenly noticed that Leo had been staring at her… hair? Looking down, she realized it had been much longer than a few months ago. She'd never needed to take that monthly trip to the hair salon. Her dad was always volunteering to trim it himself, very much untidily. Ignoring the lump in her throat, she couldn't help but think, _did she really look that different_?

"Drastic change," she said dryly, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. Leo immediately looked away.

"Sorry. I guess time really has passed."

"Well, it doesn't just sit there and twiddle its thumbs, doesn't it?" April softly joked. To lighten the atmosphere, her tone rose slightly and a teasing smile formed. "You're right. Raph's right. Don't worry. School's going to be out soon, I promise. And as soon as Casey and I get out, we're coming back down here—_with a surprise_."

Leo opened his mouth to answer, but April interrupted him again. "You know what they say." Her smile grew wider, and more mysterious.

The blue-clad turtle sighed. "Yeah, yeah. It's not a surprise if you know what it is."

"M-hm," April agreed. She then checked the time, and gave Leo an apologetic look. "I better go visit the other two." The teenage girl saluted the team leader, and he saluted back, watching as she hurried off to the lab.

"See ya, Ape."

Before April even reached the lab doors, she could already hear the sound of tinkering, whizzing of battery-powered tools, and light hammering. The redhead felt a smile come onto her face as she slid the door open. There was no use in knocking. Despite his sharp hearing senses, he would never hear a thing.

April found her favorite turtle hunched over one of the Shellraiser's tires, his body tensed up in concentration. On some days, he would have some jazz fusion playing—but sadly, one can't enjoy both while on a certain level of focused. "Hey, D!" she called, hoping she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

And thankfully, that wasn't necessary. Donatello immediately whirled from his spot, lifting his safety glasses. "April!" he exclaimed, instantly beaming from ear to ear. April wasn't surprised when his eyes eventually dropped to her hair. She didn't bother to say anything, just allowed him to enjoy the view while it lasted.

The staring lasted about five seconds before Don finally cleared his throat and started speaking. "April, I've—_we've _missed you! How've you been?"

"Oh, the same old same old," she admitted. Really not wanting to go through the same small talk, she decided to skip to the point and leave it be. "Listen, Donnie—I know I've been absent for awhile and all. And I'm sorry. I truly am. And don't mistake this for avoidance, because we're going to see each other again—very soon." She paused to take a big breath, having built up excitement. "I got an idea I've been planning for awhile. A surprise."

Suddenly, Donnie's dark brown eyes perked with added interest. "You say?"

"I really should have told you first, but thing is, I have to leave pretty soon," April explained. "Just in case Leo forgets, can you tell Raph? About the surprise?"

"Of course!" Donnie shot her his infamous gap-tooth grin, making her break into a smile herself. _That gap could beat Casey's any day_. "Do you need anything?" he added kindly.

April was about to shake her head—when she remembered how comforting this turtle, this teenage boy, her best friend—was, and she supposed she could use some comfort to last her the rest of her last week of junior year. "Just one."

And in the blink of an eye, Donatello was gently tackled by a hug. April stifled a giggle against his plastron as she felt his skin warm. "I'm probably going to miss you the most," she admitted, her voice muffled. She suddenly found herself not wanting to let go.

Donnie didn't respond, but April preferred his comfortable silence over his awkward tangle of mixed-up words. She closed her eyes. Why did this feel so… relieving?

Her T-Phone rang in her back pocket, making them both jump. Without checking the screen, the only thing she could picture was her frustrated aunt. "See you, Donnie!" April called behind her shoulder, as she began to sprint out of the lab. _Thanks a lot, Auntie_.

As O' Neil jogged home, her T-Phone chimed with a text alert. She slipped it out to find it was Donnie that had messaged.

**Donny Boy:**** The average rate of human hair growth is 6 inches per year. Guess yours decided to run an extra mile.**

April rolled her eyes, trying her best to ignore the warmth spreading on her face. _He'd still been thinking about her hair_?

**Donny Boy:**** Have you been taking biotin and Vitamin B supplements lately?**

Well, she'd been eating a lot of fruit lately.

**April:**** I wish I kept track.**

**Donny Boy:**** Anyways, I think your hair looks pretty cool.**

**April:**** Will definitely keep that in mind.**

**Donny Boy:**** Sensei will be pleased to hear you haven't slacked. Keep it up.**

**Donny Boy:**** You're doing great. **

**Donny Boy:**** Your work matters.**

April flushed with pride. She felt her legs move faster along the sidewalk, the balls of her feet hitting the concrete and flying back up just as fast as they came down. Her training had definitely paid off: she wasn't the least exhausted.

**April:**** Everything I wanna hear.**

**April:**** Words coming from you means everything.**

Before she could say anything else, her T-Phone powered down, reminding her she had forgotten to charge the darn thing.

Would he ever tell her the words she wanted to hear the most?

It would be near impossible for _her_, though. Half of the time, it was like April's life refused to get her even the little things she desired.

But April remembered something her dad had said, about a few years back. Eighth grade science fair, with her dad by her side. First place trophy in hand, the two had gone out to the car, conversing about the universe. She remembered the topic switching to reincarnation. And for some reason, April had thought about her mother.

"She's watching over us, April," her dad had carefully explained. "I wish I knew a better way to tell you. She's not all gone, you know."

"But maybe she is," a fourteen year-old April had sighed. "And that's just impossible."

"April."

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Nothing's too impossible."


End file.
